How to have a baby without Epidural.

Here is your guide to having a drug free, all natural birth with less medical interventions. Sounds too good to be true? I did it! With my first baby, I did end up getting the epidural after 8 hours of labour and it wasn’t properly put in so it wore off by the time I had to push. After that experience, I was determined to do my next birth completely drug free…so when my son came along, that is exactly what I did- and you can too!

For reference- My pain tolerance is low.

Remember: YOU ARE STRONG!

#1 MINDSET: Have the right mindset. When I arrived at the hospital for the birth of my first daughter, I kept thinking and saying “I can’t do this. I can’t take one more second of this” and then somehow I did 8 more hours of that pain without relief. That taught me that I am stronger than I think I am and I can endure more than I think I can. It’s the Little Engine That Could story in real life- you are the little mama that can! When I went in for my second baby, I was confident in my ability to do it and I changed the narrative from “you can’t do this” to “you were made to do this“.

Your Homework: Body Prep

“By failing to prepare, you’re preparing to fail.” — Benjamin Franklin.

What you do in your first, second and third trimester really is going to determine how well your birth goes. Without the prep work, you are headed into the finals without having done one practice. Below, I have listed the essential things that I would do to prepare for your birth. HINT: It’s not Lamaze class.

#2 CHIRO: Getting adjusted regularly throughout your pregnancy (especially by an upper cervical chiropractor) will give you a shorter, less painful birth and decreases need for medical intervention. It’s going to allow your body to be in optimal shape to give it the best chance of doing what it naturally knows how to do. Chiropractic care is often covered by health insurance or benefits so if you do have those, take advantage! It’s also so amazing on the joints and helps with S.I. pain or Sciatica during pregnancy which is a win in itself.

#3 ENDURANCE TRAINING: The hardest part of labour is not the pain, its the exhaustion. Your body has just been put through so much during pregnancy and during early labour so by the time you get to active labour, you are tired. My friends who were gym go-ers and body builders before getting pregnant had easier labours and I believe that is because they had great endurances. I did not- so for my second pregnancy, I started going swimming in a salt water pool twice a week and swam laps. If I had done it towards the end, it would have been even more effective. Whatever it is that will get you to safely increase your endurance in a way that you can commit to, do it starting the day you pee on a stick. Not only will it make you feel great during pregnancy, but you will reap the rewards once baby time comes around.

#4 PELVIC FLOOR EXERCISES: To be completely transparent, I never did this one. However, I have heard great things from others and will absolutely be implementing this for baby #3 (eventually…I got my hands full with the 2 for now). You can watch Youtube videos on how to do this.

#5 PREP YOUR CERVIX: Do not skip this! This is absolutely essential to strengthen your uterus and soften your cervix. I did this for both babies and it made my midwife overjoyed to see how effaced I was at 39 weeks. Here is the cervix prepping routine that you need to start at 37 weeks (don’t try this before because it can induce labour): Drink red raspberry leaf tea twice a day (I hate tea so I made it into an iced sweet tea), eat 6 dates a day (if you don’t like dates, throw them into smoothies), eat pineapple and drink pineapple juice as much as you can and finally, insert 1 evening primrose capsule vaginally every night before you sleep.

#6 GET A MIDWIFE: If you can get a midwife, do it. Midwives are covered by OHIP in Ontario, and my midwife was amazing so I went with her both times. I would do it every time! She was understanding and respectful of my wishes, but gave me her opinion as needed. I built a relationship with her, I didn’t just get randomly selected an OB the night of the birth. She knew me, she knew my birth plan and she knew my baby very well beforehand. The best part of having her? She coached me through pushing so well. She told me when and how to push and both deliveries only left me with 1-2 stitches.

#7 DON’T BURN YOURSELF OUT IN THE FIRST HALF: The biggest tip I could give anyone is this: during early stages of labour, do not overdo it because when it comes to active labour and pushing out your baby, you do not want to be burned out. It is easier said than done, I know, but attempt to relax in the weeks leading up to labour and during early labour. Don’t go overboard nesting, don’t go on long walks trying to induce your labour at 39 weeks, and when you start getting those early labour contractions, try to stay calm. It’s not like the movies where your water breaks and you’re off to the hospital and have a baby in an hour. Labour takes time and if you put all your energy towards the first half, you will not be able to get through the second half (which is the significantly harder half!).

The Tools: What’s in Your Labour Bag?

Yes, you need to pack a labour bag with your I.D, charger, wallet, grippy socks and a water bottle with a straw so that they are easily accessible for you. I also recommend putting snacks and water in there for your husband/support person. The most important tools to put in your labour bag, though, are headphones and labour combs.

#8 USE HEADPHONES : Use music to distract you from the pain- this is what I did and it worked so well for me. Every contraction, I would put back on my headphones and play the songs and it got me through the entire active stage of labour. Stock your phone with a good playlist– something upbeat that will hype you up. I would not go for the relaxing coffee shop playlist- I would put the kind of songs that if you used to dance to in your bedroom at 14. There is no shame in blasting NSYNC during every contraction. Get yourself some good bluetooth headphones– I do not advise that you go for AirPods (they would fall out) or anything with a wire- trust me you don’t want any wires tangling you up. These are the ones that I used: CLICK ME 🙂 or these are the newer version CLICK ME 🙂 the best part about either of these is that they have a really amazing battery life, I didn’t have to charge them once the entire time I was in labour.

#9 LABOUR COMBS: Labour combs were another essential tool for me during contractions. I started using these the second I went into labour and as I progressed, I held onto them harder. You can get special ones that can be a keepsake for your babies like this : CLICK ME 🙂 or you can get just basic plastic combs that you probably already have or can get at the dollar store. Either way, just make sure you have two so you can hold one in each hand. You squeeze them during contractions to distract you from the pain and it also hits an acupressure point (Laogong) that fools your brain and reverts your pain. It’s kind of the same idea as pinching your leg while getting blood drawn so you don’t focus on the needle. I didn’t have these with my first baby and I noticed a huge difference having them the second time. With my daughter, I just squeezed (tried to break) my husband’s hand and it definitely wasn’t as effective.

#10 BIRTHING BALL: Some hospitals have these if you request them- I did so I wouldn’t have to bring mine from home. If your hospital doesn’t have one, bring one! There are 2 reasons why you need this. The first one is for your third trimester– I used this to sit on at the kitchen table because by 27 weeks, I hated chairs. It was way more comfortable to bounce on an exercise ball- it’s good for your joints, helps with back pain and it opens up the hips for labour. If you don’t want to get an exercise ball for pregnancy, at least make sure you have one there for your labour because it will be a game changer. Being on your hands and knees or in a squatting position is the best for progressing labour but it is hard to stay in this position without a birthing ball. I draped myself onto the thing and rocked back and forth for hours. It helps the baby get into a good position (no breech!) and it helps them descend down the birth canal. I know for certain that doing this shortened my labour time and I believe that if I didn’t do this, I would have had to have medical intervention. Here is the birthing ball I used at home: CLICK ME 🙂 it’s best to get one with a stand & pump.

#11 ELECTROLYTES: When you play sports, what do you do? You drink Gatorade-you replenish your electrolytes. Labour is going to be the most athletic thing you ever do- why not treat it the same way you would if you were going to run a marathon. Coconut water, electrolyte drink powder, or Pedialyte pops are going to be your best friend to have before, during and after labour. I had a reusable water bottle with me and I filled it with red raspberry tea iced cubes, coconut water and electrolyte powder and drank that labour cocktail throughout labour (well, I told my husband to force me to drink it and he understood the assignment). Note: you can drink clear fluids during labour, especially if you have a midwife.

The Game Plan: What to do during labour.

#12 ACUPRESSURE: This is also something that helped me so much with pain reduction- acupressure points on my back. Especially if you have back labour, this is going to be so good for you. These points are between your hips above your butt. Watch a video, look up pictures and study where these points are. Get your husband, your doula, whoever to push on these acupressure points during contractions.

#13 RELAX YOUR MUSCLES: You will be very tempted to tense up your entire body but this will cause you more pain. Ask your support person to help you relax your muscles by reminding you to unclench your jaw and shake out your arms and legs between contractions.

#14 BE LOUD BUT LOW: It is okay to be loud- you are having a baby, that’s one of the only times where its understandable to scream in public. I did it, every woman I know did it, Rachel from Friends did it- it is part of the process. Although, the best way to scream is to moan in low, deep tones. This will help you manage the pain and relax your jaw. It’s also less disruptive to others but you’re also giving birth so you’re allowed to be disruptive.

#15 PRAYER: As a Christian, it was very important to me to pray during labour. God gave me strength to push on even when I was passed my point of doing it on my own. My playlist was also mostly Christian music- my favourite song that I played on repeat during labour was Build a Boat by Colton Dixon (feat. Gabby Barrett).

#16 SUPPORT TEAM OR DOULA: For the birth of my baby boy, I had my husband and my sister there. They were a really great support for me and that was such a beautiful experience for them to be there for the whole process of Joshua being born into this world. Having my husband as my primary support for both births was perfect for me because he advocated for me, he was encouraging and loving the whole time, he followed the plan I gave him and he did everything he could for my pain management. Pick the right people to be there in the room for you and don’t do it out of obligation, this is your time to have boundaries more than ever. You need people there who you trust to help you through it, not cause you problems. For some women, that’s a birth Doula- I’ve never used one for birth but if that would work well for you, go for it!

Why have a drug free birth?: the HONEST truth is that it is harder during labour but the recovery after is so much easier. For one thing, you aren’t frozen after birth which can help you to start moving around right away. You also can feel what you are doing and can intuitively push your baby out better- which will reduce the need for medical intervention and also will stop you from tearing because you will be able to know when to stop and go. Your breastmilk also comes in faster without epidural. Many women experience pain in the spot they had the needle for years (me included from my first baby). For some women, it doesn’t work or it only works on half their body (this happened to my mother in law and sister in law). Epidural can stall labour and cause you to have a much longer labour time, sometimes even leading to a c-section because of slow progression.

At the end of the day, it is your decision. Don’t let anyone make you feel guilty for doing what is right for you and your baby. I will say though, doing it without any drugs will make you feel so powerful and strong as a woman. I have never been more proud of myself than after delivering my son. Either way, birth is beautiful and it doesn’t matter how it happens, you carried that child in your body for 9 months and birthed them out one way or another and for that, you are strong.

You got this mama! Your body was made for this, and you absolutely CAN do it. For any questions or if you need encouragement, email me or send me a message on social media @mombrainmondays on all platforms.

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